In a conventional power distribution system, power from a utility may be fed to a load center which, in turn, feeds a series of branch circuits. To provide high-level protection for the branch circuits, the load center may include a main breaker to control the supply of power from the primary power supply to the branch circuits. To protect the individual branch circuits, the load center can include an individual circuit breaker for each branch circuit.
Conventional circuit breakers are typically coupled to an associated load center via wired and screwed connections. These connections couple the circuit breakers to the load center both electrically and mechanically. As will be appreciated, for load centers employing a large number of individual circuit breakers, the time involved in wiring each circuit breaker to the load center can be substantial.
It would be desirable to provide a circuit breaker and load center system in which the circuit breakers can be installed faster and more efficiently than the current screwed and wired arrangements. For example, it would be beneficial to provide a system that reduces overall wiring time. It would also be desirable to provide mechanical retention features (i.e., those that lock the breaker to the load center) that are separate from the electrical connections. Such a system should also be modular to enable multiple different panel configurations to be built using smaller modules.